About

Hairspray

As a performing arts major, you have to have a large repertoire of shows you have seen or have listened to. I have never seen any shows live, only on television or video cassettes. In New York, I finally got to lose my broadway virginity and was able to watch what a real broadway show looks like, and I couldn't have picked a better musical than Hairspray. This musical has one of the most imaginative set design, incredible and catchy music, and important messages.

When entering the theatre, I had a different view on the musical Hairspray. Like many I had watched the Ricki Lake version, and expected it to be just like it. But as the show began, I discovered that this Hairspray was in a totally different playing field than the movie. When the curtains opened, and the bed upright positioned bed rolled out, I knew that the scene design was going to be magnificent. Also I found it interesting how the props and set moved on stage, if I am correct they were magnets and it required no hands on assistance. Also the incorporated levels into the scenes, mostly noticed in the musical number "Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now" where Tracy and her mom where high above, and Penny was with her mom on the stage, and Amber was with her mom on a little platform, maybe an inch or two up. Also what captured my attention was during the jail scene, how they had it set up like the "Cell Block Tango" in the musical Chicago, I found it witty and funny.

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...Experiencing Hairspray
“Negro day is the best! I wish that every day was Negro day!” Those were the very scandalous words the Caucasian teenager, Tracey Turnblad, uttered while auditioning for the Corny Collins show. Who knew that such a young girl could cause such a controversial riot? Hairspray was the triumphant musical that changed the way people all across the world looked at segregation. I was privileged enough to see the powerful musical for myself. Not only did the musical have comedic singing and dancing, but a heartfelt message that showed to culture of the African-American society and how they were persistent, even in trying times. The skilled acting, the meaningful music, and the powerful message all made this small town production of Hairspray look like Broadway quality.
I saw the Rome Little Theatre do their production of “Hairspray” in February at the DeSoto Theatre in Rome, Ga. The cast and crew did a truly phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the 60’s. The costumes were able to capture the different economical standpoints each race had, along with the dialect being able to show the difference in how whites were able to have a greater education than the blacks. The entire time the actors were on stage they were as dynamic as they could be to convey to the audience the true depression and hurt that segregation in the 60’s caused.
Part of the reason the show was able to deliver the meaning...

...Hairspray
It is no surprise Hairspray is one of the highest grossing musical films ever. Hairspray, directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman, came out in 2007. The movie is an adaptation of the Broadway musical and 1988 comedy film, both of the same name. Hairspray’s music was written by Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and performed by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra. The hair rocks, the music rolls, and the story is one that anyone with a dream can embrace.
Hairspray is the story of Tracy Turnblad, a happy, overweight teen, and her dream of dancing on The Corny Collins Show and becoming “Miss Teenage Hairspray” in 1960’s Baltimore. Tracy is played by Nikki Blonsky. Tracy is joined by her best friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes), and semi-supportive parents (Christopher Walken and John Travolta). Once Tracy earns her spot on the show, she goes head to head with Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer), manager of the TV station that produces The Corny Collins Show. Velma likes her dancers thin and white. Tracy joins together with some new friends, (Queen Latifah and Elijah Kelley), to give Velma Von Tussle and Baltimore a “Miss Teenage Hairspray” pageant like they had never seen. In the end, Tracy integrates the show and wins the man of her dreams, Link Larkin (Zac Efron), all with perfect hair.
The music in Hairspray centers on 1960’s pop and R&B. Two...

...Hairspray
The movie, Hairspray, is set back in the 1960s during the 20th century. It is a musical set in Baltimore, Maryland. The music is very lively and presents a happy mood. The music and dancing gets the audience interested in the musical and makes them feel a part of the experience. The musical is very uplifting and inspires you to follow your dreams.
The musical demand upon the performers was hard because they could not sing and perform together. The experience was new to me because I have always been accustomed to integration. The singing and dancing throughout the musical was entertaining and very fun to watch. It pulled you into the musical and made you feel a part of it. The piece, You Can’t Stop the Beat, was very intriguing and brought all the people together as one. The performance was a real eye opener and portrayed the way life use to be during the 1960s. Music and performing has come a long way since then.
The character/singer, Tracy Turnblad, was a real activist. She followed her dreams and did not let anyone stop her from pursuing them. What impressed me the most was that the music they sang brought the couples together and formed love. The music made a real bond between them and connected them spiritually and emotionally. The Corny Collins Dance Show on the movie inspired Tracy Turnblad to follow her dreams. The singing and dancing on the show inspired Tracy and other teenagers like her to follow...

...During the 1960’s in the United States of America there was very little acceptance of people with different backgrounds or races. The only way to be accepted was to be a conformist and to prove you were just like everyone else around you. This would hold impossible for any one that was not white. Any sign of unconformity or differences would be used against you and any place you hoped to hold in society. The United States, during this time period, was not the land of equality that President Lincoln had hoped for when he proclaimed freedom of slavery for African Americans in the Emancipation Proclamation.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s there was a new type of music being introduced and called Rock N Roll. In the beginning of this film the first reference to the time and place in history is hearing Tracy Turnblad’s mother refer to the music she was listening to as “race music”. This music was completely unacceptable to white Americans that were practicing conformity and Christianity in masses. This was also seen in the way the characters dressed similarly. There was only one way to live and that was the conformist way. Any other outside influence would surely be seen as communist influence. In this time period Americans were terrified of the spread of communism and nuclear warfare, and rightfully so. Another reference to this issue was the bomb shelter where Tracy Turnblad was hid, by her friend Penny Pingleton, which stored Russian textbooks and gas masks. The fear...

...Hairspray Essay
Introduction
In Hairspray, directed by Adam Shankman, an important relationship is the mother-daughter relationship of Edna and Tracy Turnblad. The relationship between these characters can be seen to develop from the beginning, in which Edna and Tracy lack any understanding for one another, through Tracy’s convincing Edna to leave the family home and regain her confidence and in the final scene where the pair dance together on the Corny Collins Show.
Paragraph 1
As the relationship between Edna and Tracy is established, the audience soon sees that the two do not have a well communicated relationship. This is portrayed by the fights and disagreements they have. Edna has overprotective views on Tracy’s dreams, and fears that Tracy will lose her self confidence if she goes and continues on with her dream. Wilbur Turnblad, Tracy’s father, has to reconcile the mother and daughter’s relationship; Edna can’t communicate her feelings and thoughts to Tracy herself. In the film, props are used to express the mental barrier in their relationship. E.g. ironing board, coffee table, door frame, etc.
Paragraph Two
In the ‘Welcome to the 60s’ scene, the audience can visualise that Tracy and Edna have become closer. After a phone call from Mr Pinky, Tracy makes the first step in overcoming the barrier in their relationship by asking Edna to act as her agent. In order for Edna to be Tracy’s agent, she has to venture outside of the...

...the health of the women who used them. Some of these chemicals were outlawed.
The popularity of hair spray revived again in the 1980s, when punks, young fans of punk rock music, used it to lacquer their spikes and mohawks (a ridge of hair sticking straight up, running down the center of the head from the forehead to the nape of the neck) in place, and it has remained a part of many women's hair styling routine through the twenty-first century. Since the 1980s many men have begun to use hair spray products as well. However, it is the late 1950s and early 1960s that will always be identified with hair spray. A lighthearted 1988 John Waters film, made into a Broadway musical in 2002, captures the atmosphere of the early 1960s in its title, Hairspray....

...is one thing we all hold very sacred, one thing we will never complain about. It is something so simple that people may over look it, but the secret behind keeping this outrageous outfit together happens to be the one and only, hairspray.
Hairspray is every cheerleader’s best friend and that is not something taken lightly. We buy the strongest stuff you can find in any given store. The brand is called Got2BGlued, and it works well. Believe me when I say it is not cheap either, especially considering it only lasts through roughly three competitions. We might as well invest bonds in the company. The amount of money we spend on it is ridiculous, but we need it. The last thing you want while trying to tumble or jump, or stunt, is your curls losing their size, your makeup sweating off, or in my case for your extensions to fall out of your head. It does more than people realize. In the more awkward side of its amazing capabilities is being able to hold each girls spandex in place. That prevents many things that most people won’t talk about, believe me when I say it is an awkward conversation.
Hairspray is a beautiful product and I nearly worship it. It always does what it needs to. It does its job, and does it well. There is something else about hairspray though, one of its drawbacks also happens to be its plus. It keeps everything in its place. It’s hard to explain the contradiction. For Example, if you win a...

...The chemistry of hairspray
What is hairspray: introduction
Hair spray (or hair lacquer) is a common household aqueous solution that is used to keep hair stiff or in a certain style. Weaker than hair gel, hair wax, or glue, it is sprayed to hold styles for a short period of time. Using a pump or aerosol spray nozzle it sprays evenly over the hair. Hairspray was first developed and manufactured in 1948 by Chase Products Company, based in Broadview, Illinois.Its active ingredient is a suitable polymer or the chemical elastesse. Elastesse is a form of liquid elastic that keeps the hair stiff and firm without snapping. Pytocalcious, an ingredient in hair spray, lowers the amount of minerals in the hair's root causing the hair to become stiff, or polyvinylpyrrolidone. Excessive use or lack of washing after hair spray may lead to dull or damaged hair. Some hair sprays are scented or have color. Hair spray is an easy way to hold hair styles for a short period of time. Hairsprays belong to a class of personal care products that help hair to hold a desired style. These products contain film forming ingredients that are applied as a fine mist. When dry, these chemicals form tiny glue-like spots that hold the hair shafts together. Hairsprays are formulated as aerosols that are powered by pressurized gasses or non-aerosols that are dispensed by manually depressing a pump.Hair spray is extremely flammable, more...